This revealing biography of a pioneering photojournalist and social
reformer Jacob Riis shows how he brought to light one of the worst
social justice issues plaguing New York City in the late 1800s--the
tenement housing crisis--using newly invented flash photography.
Jacob Riis was familiar with poverty. He did his best to combat it in
his hometown of Ribe, Denmark, and he experienced it when he immigrated
to the United States in 1870. Jobs for immigrants were hard to get and
keep, and Jacob often found himself penniless, sleeping on the streets
or in filthy homeless shelters. When he became a journalist, Jacob
couldn't stop seeing the poverty in the city around him. He began to
photograph overcrowded tenement buildings and their impoverished
residents, using newly developed flash powder to illuminate the
constantly dark rooms to expose the unacceptable conditions. His
photographs inspired the people of New York to take action. Gary
Kelley's detailed illustrations perfectly accompany Alexis O'Neill's
engaging text in this STEAM title for young readers.